The Other Part of the Verse
“Behold, as for the impudent one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous one will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 NASB
Impudent – We’ve looked at the second part of the famous verse quite a few times because it is the foundation verse of Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 1:17):
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.” NASB
But the context of this citation by Paul is found in Habakkuk, and in particular, the contrast between ʿāpal and ṣaddîq. Let’s start with the derivative of ʿāpal in this verse (‘uplah). Alter comments: “The meaning of ‘uplah is uncertain, but it probably relates to a root that means ‘to wrap,’ and so the surmise reflected in this translation is that it indicates being enveloped, impervious to true perception.”[1] On this basis, Alter translates the first part of the verse as, “the spirit within him is callous.” The root, ʿāpal, according to TWOT means “to swell, be lifted up,” so the usual translation involves the idea of pride or arrogance. This is in contrast to ṣaddîq.
ṣaddîq “basically connotes conformity to an ethical or moral standard.”[2] That standard is Torah. “The man who is righteous tries to preserve the peace and prosperity of the community by fulfilling the commands of God in regard to others. In the supreme sense the righteous man (ṣaddîq) is one who serves God (Mal 3:18).” [3] Now we have the contrast in Habakkuk. On the one side stands the proud man, too self-possessed to recognize his true standing before God. He is blinded by his own pursuits. “Impudent” is only one aspect of his character, but an important one since it means he does not show respect for anyone else. But ‘uplah is not limited to this single communal element. He also shows no respect to God and God’s Torah. He is, in a word, ego-driven.
On the opposite side stands the ṣaddîq, someone submissive to God’s will, fulfilling God’s Torah, embracing personal responsibility for human and divine relationships with humility. This person is fully aware of his fragility and dependence—and he lives it out in righteous acts. Alter translates this as living “through his faithfulness.” In other words, he practices Torah in all that he does.
The NASB translation of Paul’s citation could lead us to assume that the follower of the Messiah lives by faith, that is, he is alive because of his faith. But the context in Habakkuk doesn’t paint that picture. It contrasts the one who is oblivious to God and other men with the one who embraces God and others. Habakkuk’s context is present religious and social responsibility and relationships. It says nothing about why such a person exists. Rather, it speaks to every person’s priorities. The one who is in right relationship with God and others is the ṣaddîq. Action determines character and God looks for character.
Topical Index: ‘uplah, ʿāpal, impudent, pride, ṣaddîq, righteous, faith, Romans 1:17, Habakkuk 2:4
[1] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Volume 3 The Prophets, p. 1334, fn. 4.
[2] Stigers, H. G. (1999). 1879 צָדֵק. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 752). Moody Press.
[3] Ibid.
